The Doctor's Say
by emeraldstoker
Summary: Spoilers for Gotham! And Wire in the Blood! What if Doctor Tony Hill of Wire in the Blood was in the United States and asked to consult Gotham PD on the incident regarding the death of Officer Parks by the Flamingo. Rated T for language and themes. Captain Barnes is also featured though not in character menu.


(Nathanial Barnes, Doctor Leslie Tompkins, Jim Gordon and Doctor Tony Hill gathered around a conference table. Jim looks a little worse for wear from his encounter with Flamingo. Leslie does not look happy about him being there)

Barnes: Jim, what happened to Officer Parks was not your fault. (Leslie nods supportively and squeezes her boyfriend's hand).

Dr. Hill: Absolutely not. You did all you could. No one's blaming you, Detective Gordon. Except possibly you. Sorry. I do this thing. But no, it's not your fault. (turns to Barnes) It's yours.

Barnes and Jim: What?!

Dr. Hill: Or at least whomever gave the order to bring a mad, cannibal-serial killer in for lock-up as if he were a pick-pocket or headed for the drunk tank. Handcuffs? One officer? He was seen to use his teeth as a weapon! Why was he not muzzled? Come on!(Pounds table, both hands)This was not Detective Gordon's fault. It was not Officer Park's fault. But this tragedy was preventable. Not a step, not one step was taken to prevent it. This is endemic to Gotham PD, Captain Barnes. Like Bradfield Gotham is a city of uncommon criminals and madmen. You need clear and consistent policies and procedures for your officers to deal with this. And you need to make sure the resources are in place so they can be properly carried out.

Barnes: Granted there's a lot of work ahead of us. Once we've cleared out the bad apples and set a standard we'll look into what you're proposing.

Dr. Hill: No. This needs to be done now, alongside your other measures. These are not rewards or incentives that I'm proposing. These are necessities for your officers to do their jobs. Do you honestly think that every illegal or unethical action carried out by police officers is down to individual moral failings?

Barnes: Gotham PD rewarded that kind of crap for years.

Dr. Hill: Exactly! But there's a flipside, Captain Barnes. Gotham PD also punishes legal and ethical action. That hasn't changed, not enough. Ask Detective Gordon if he feels punished for following the law. How many times can someone go out and do the ethical, moral, legal thing, suffer devastating consequences more times than not and then get up and do it again the next day and the next and the next? And then what do you do? Fire those who crack and fail to meet the standard? Mourn those who die and bring in more recruits? Do you think that's sustainable? Plenty of fresh meat where they came from?

Barnes: Listen you pointy-headed limey bastard! I'm not going to sit here and take this from some ivory tower academic! You have no idea...

Dr. Hill: I have plenty of idea. I've been in the field. I've been strung up on a torture device by an angry transvestite, all but drowned by a grown-up victim of severe child abuse. I talked a woman with munchhussen's by proxy down from a bridge. She was going to jump, her baby in her arms. I talked a young student out of using carrier pigeons to spread plague over a sinful world. I did not talk him out of committing suicide. I watched him fall. I once tried to convince my colleagues that a criminally insane patient's religious conversion was fake. They didn't listen. Do you know what he did when he was given the privilege of a bible and private meeting with the chaplain? He tore out the pages from the book and used them to choke the chaplain to death. Don't tell me I've no idea. And nine times out of ten, the tragedies I've dealt with have come out of people's unwillingness to face a terrible truth. The mother with Munchausen by Proxy killed two daughters because no one wanted to face the fact that a mother could do that to her own children. A chaplain is dead because no one wanted to face the fact that sometimes faith isn't real. And I guarantee you, more of your people will die if you can't face the reality that it's not all down to the bravery and integrity of individual officers. You need procedures and recourses to keep them safe... to keep them sane. It will not lower the standard of Gotham PD. Your extraordinary officers will still be extraordinary and it will raise the standard for everyone, give them a chance to do their jobs and take pride in it.

Leslie: Captain Barnes, with all respect, I have to agree with Doctor Hill. There have been so many incidents at Gotham PD that could have been, if not entirely prevented, certainly made less destructive if more people had known what to do. (Barnes says nothing but is frowning deeply)

Dr. Hill: (gives Barnes a considering look) You really don't want to believe that the system can help or hurt the integrity of individuals, do you? Why is that? For many people, it is easier to take on blame than admit feeling frightened or victimized by...(Barnes gets up and storms out of the room)

Dr. Hill: I think I hit a nerve.

Leslie: If not several. (glancing at Jim whose jaw is working visibly) I think we'd better go home.

Dr. Hill: Of course. (addressing Jim) If you need to talk, Detective Gordon, I'll be in the city the next few days as part of a lecture tour.

Jim: (takes the card and puts it in his pocket numbly) Thanks.

Leslie: We'll be in touch. (leaves with Jim)

(Scene)


End file.
